A representative from Freeport McMoRan told a community meeting in Ajo last week that the company is reassessing the New Cornelia copper mine to determine if it would be economic to re-open it.
The mine last operated in 1985. For many years, it employed more than 1,000 workers. [above: New Cornelia mine, @NASA Johnson Space Center]
Last year news reports described Freeport as reassessing numerous inactive copper mines around the state, but Ajo was not in the list at that time.
The mine and surrounding area is the only known source of the mineral papagoite.